Bombiscardovia coagulans gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Bifidobacteriaceae isolated from the digestive tract of bumblebees

One hundred and eighty-seven fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase positive strains were isolated from the digestive tract of three different bumblebee species. Analyses of the partial 16S rRNA gene sequences of the representative strains showed only 92.8% and 92.5% similarity to Bifidobacterium coryneforme YIT 4092T and Bifidobacterium indicum JCM 1302T, 92.2% similarity to Alloscardovia omnicolens CCUG 18650 and slightly reduced similarity of 91% to other members of the family Bifidobacteriaceae. On the other hand, analyses of the partial heat-shock protein 60 (hsp60) gene sequence revealed that the proposed type strain BLAPIII-AGVT was affiliated only to the 60 kDa chaperonin sequence of uncultured bacteria from human vagina (79–80%) and the hsp60 gene sequence of A. omnicolens CCUG 31649T (75.5%). The peptidoglycan type was A4α with an l-Lys-d-Asp interpeptide bridge. The polar lipids contained diphosphatidylglycerol, an unknown phospholipid, six glycolipids and two phosphoglycolipids. The major fatty acids were C18:1, C20:0 and C18:0. These and other analyses indicated that the isolates represented a new genus within the family Bifidobacteriaceae. This observation was further substantiated by determination of the DNA G + C contents (46.1–47.1 mol%). Affinity of the strains to some scardovial genera (Aeriscardovia, Alloscardovia and Metascardovia) was also confirmed by their ability to grow under aerobic conditions. Besides the above mentioned differences, Bombiscardovia coagulans was found to differ from all scardovial genera in the ability to grow at temperatures as low as 5 °C, which was another major phenotypically different characteristic of this new member of the family Bifidobacteriaceae. Hence, on the basis of phylogenetic analyses using partial 16S rRNA and hsp60 gene sequence data, and the temperature related phenotypic difference, we propose a novel taxa, B. coagulans gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain = BLAPIII-AGVT = DSM 22924T = ATCC BAA-1568T)

Pseudoscardovia suis gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family Bifidobacteriaceae isolated from the digestive tract of wild pigs (Sus scrofa)

Seventeen fructose-6-phosphate phosphoketolase-positive bacterial strains were isolated from the digestive tract of wild pigs (Sus scrofa). Most of them were identified as Bifidobacterium boum according to sequences of 16S rRNA gene. Two strains isolated from the small intestine content had unusual morphology of cells in comparison with bifidobacteria. Cells growing in liquid anaerobic media were regular shaped rods arranged mostly in pairs. These isolates showed relatively low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities (maximum identity of 94%) to members of the family Bifidobacteriaceae. Nevertheless, phylogenetic analyses of 16S rRNA, hsp60 and xfp gene sequences revealed that these strains are more related to recently described Neoscardovia, Aeriscardovia and other scardovial genera, than to Bifidobacterium species. Partial gene sequences of other phylogenetic markers showed low (65.8–89.5%) similarities to genome sequences of bifidobacteria and Gardnerella vaginalis. The major fatty acids detected in cells of the representative strain DPTE4T were C16:0, C18:1, C14:0. The peptidoglycan type of the DPTE4T strain was A3β l-Orn(l-Lys)-l-Ser(l-Ala)-l-Ala2. Polar lipid analysis revealed two phosphoglycolipids and phospholipids, a glycolipid and diphosphatidylglycerol. The results of phylogenetic, genotypic and phenotypic analyses support the proposal of a novel taxa, Pseudoscardovia suis gen. nov., sp. nov. (type strain = DPTE4T = DSM 24744T = CCM 7942T)

Immune biomarkers in relation to exposure to particulate matter: a cross-sectional survey in 17 cities of Central Europe.

Human population data on air pollution and its effects on the immune system are scarce. A survey was conducted within the framework of the Central European Study of Air Quality and Respiratory Health (CESAR) to measure a panel of immune biomarkers in children of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Seventeen cities were chosen to represent a wide range of exposure to outdoor air pollution. In each, ambient particulate matter of less than 10 microns diameter and less than 2.5 microns diameter (PM10 and PM2.5) were measured with a Harvard impactor. Blood was collected from 366 school children aged 9 to 11 yr between 11 April and 10 May 1996. The percentage of B, total T, CD4+, CD8+, and natural killer (NK) lymphocytes was determined by flow cytometry (Becton Dickinson); total immunoglobulins of class G, M, A and E (IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgE) were measured in serum using nephelometry (Behring). Associations between PM and each log-transformed biomarker concentration were studied by linear regression, in a two-stage model. The yearly average concentrations varied from 41 to 96 micrograms/m3 for PM10 across the 17 study areas, from 29 to 67 micrograms/m3 for PM2.5, and from 12 to 38 micrograms/m3 for PM10-2.5 (coarse). Number of B, CD4+, CD8+, and NK lymphocytes increased with increasing concentration of PM, having adjusted for age, gender, parental smoking, laboratory of analysis, and recent respiratory illness. Differences in lymphocyte number were larger and statistically significant for exposure to PM2.5. Similar results were found when we examined the association between PM and lymphocyte number separately for each laboratory. Total IgG was increased with increasing concentration of PM, significantly in the case of PM2.5. When we repeated the analyses with two other statistical approaches the results did not differ from those reported here. The effect of coarse PM on lymphocyte numbers appears small in comparison to PM2.5. One possible interpretation of our findings is that long-term exposure to airborne particulates leads to inflammation of the airways and activation of the cellular and humoral immune system